1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to photographic cameras, and more particularly to a compact camera with a built-in flash unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A current trend in camera design is to incorporate an electronic flash unit in the camera housing and yet make such housing relatively small in size in order to increase its ease of storage, portability, and handling. Examples of smaller size cameras with built-in electronic flash units are the recently introduced disk film cameras, such as sold by Eastman Kodak Company, and the recently introduced compact 35 mm cameras, such as sold by Nikon, Inc. As a consequence of making a camera smaller in size, the separation between a built-in flash unit and the taking lens is reduced, thereby possibly creating an undesirable effect commonly known as "red-eye". When using a flash unit and a color print film, red-eye is typified by the pupils in the eyes of a person being photographed coming out red-tinted on a developed color print. Such phenomenon is attributable to the incidence, into the taking lens, of the red light reflected from the retinas in the person's eyes illuminated by the flash light.
Red-eye may be substantially avoided by increasing the separation between the flash unit and the taking lens. As a result, light from the flash unit will reach the eyes of a person being photographed at too great an angle to be reflected by his retinas into the taking lens.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,818, granted Mar. 16, 1982, red-eye appears to be substantially avoided without increasing the size of a compact 35 mm camera to any great degree, by providing a built-in electronic flash unit that is pivotable with respect to the camera housing. The flash unit is pivotable between an inactive folded position in which it forms an integrated part of the camera housing in front of the camera lens, and an operative erect position in which it is sufficiently removed from the lens to permit picture-taking substantially without the occurence of red-eye. However, because the lens mount is fixed in an extended position with respect to the camera housing to provide the necessary extension for the short focus lenses in the compact camera, some degree of compactness is sacrificed.